Railway draft gear



Oct. 17, 1933. D. s BARRows RAILWAY DRAFT GEAR Filed Oct. 12 .V 1929 Patented ct. 1.7, 1933 UNETE STATES RAILWAY DnAFT, GEAR Donald S. Barrows, Rochester, N. Y., assignor to The Gould Coupler Company, New York, N. Y., a corporation of Maryland Application casser 12, 1929. serial No. 399,270

2 claims. (ci. 21a-30) The invention relates to draft gears for railway cars, and aims to provide a short, compact gear which isadapted for application` to cars having a relatively short overhang, such as'ore A cars, and which, though of comparatively short travel, secures a high degree 'of cushioning efect.

1n addition to the general object just stated,`

the inventionhasfor further objects such other improvements and advantages in construction 10. and operation as may be attained by the structures and devices hereinafter described or claimed.

In the drawing which illustrates embodiments of the invention: l f

15I Figurel is a planview of one form of the improved draft gear, assembled with a yoke and a draw bar. f

Figure 2 is a View, partly in sideelevation and' partly in vertical section, of the gear shown in Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a fragmentary vertical section of iaccording to the invention, is a type especiallyr suitable for railway cars, such as ore cars, which have a relatively short overhang. The rigging includes the draw bar 11 of a coupler and a hori- Zontal yoke l2 shortened consistently with the gocompact draft gear positioned within the gear pocket provided by the yoke. i

The illustrative draft gear includes outer fric* tion elements or housing members 13 and 14, relatively movable longitudinally, and twin cushioning devices, between the housing members which operate transversely and functionyieldingly to oppose relative approach of the housing members in both buff and draft. In buff, the rear housing member 14 is held by the usual back-l stop engaging the rear end of the yoke 12 which embraces the rear surface of the housing member, and the front housing member 13 is moved rearwardly by the butt'end'of the draw bar 11 toward the rear housing member 14, which movement eiiects compression of and frictional resistance by the twin cushioning devices. During the bufling movement, the front housing member carries with it the. key 15 which slides in elongated key slots 16 in the yoke arms and in elongated slots provided in the usual cheek plates and/or draft sills (not shown). In draft, the front housing member 13 is held by the engagement of the key 15 with the front end of the slot in the cheek plate and the rear housing mem- -ber 14 is moved forwardly by the pull Aapplied from the rear end of the yoke 12, to operate the cushioning devices.

According to ordinary manufacturing prac-v tice, thehousing members 13 and 14 may be metal castings. They front housing member 13 60; is'preferably in the .form of a box-like structure having an open rear end. 17, and comprising a flat vertical front wall 19, reduced in area as compared with the rear end 17, parallel side walls 9 connecting the front and rear ends, and rearf wardly diverging top and' bottom Webs21 and 22 respectively sloping upwardly and downwardly from front to rear of the front housing member. If desired, the top and bottom webs '21 and 22 may be provided each with a pair of longitudinal reinforcing flanges 25 which augment the resstance of the webs 2l and 22 to shocks. The` rear housing member 14 consists of a somewhat similar box-likestructure, having an open endY 18 facing the rear open end 17of the fronthousing member, a vertical rear wall 20 reduced in area as compared with the front end 18, parallel. side walls l() connecting the rear and front ends, and forwardly diverging top' andY bottom .webs 23 and 24 respectively sloping upwardly and downwardly from rear to front of the rear'housing member.

The interior of 'the front housing member 13 is divided by a transverse partition 47 centrally positioned vertically to provide recesses 26 which 85 extend forwardlyfrom the rear end 17 within the housing member. These recesses 26 are arranged transversely, and preferably vertically, in respect of .the line of movement of the iront housing member. Similarly arranged recesses 27, companion to the recesses 26, are provided by the vertically centrally positioned partition 48 in the rear housing member 14. The recesses 27 extend from the front open end 18 of the rear housing member and rearwardly within the 95 housing member; Each recess 26 and 27 has top and bottomfriction faces 28 and 29 sloping respectively downwardly and upwardly from the open end of the recess to the inside terminal wall30 thereof. The outer portions 31 and 32 of the friction faces 28 and 29 are offset respectively below and above the main planes of the faces, vand the shoulders 33 connecting said ofiset portions 31 and 32 with the main body portions of the friction faces function as limiting stops for the friction wedges connecting the two housing members of the gear. As above described, the twin recesses 26 and 27 conjointly provide twin pockets arranged transversely of the line of movement of the housing members,

Ill

for receiving concurrently operable twin cushioning devices which yieldingly oppose relative approach of the housing members, in both buff and draft.

The twin cushioning devices comprise the top and bottom wedge and spring assemblies 34 and 35, respectively seated in the pockets provided by the housing members. Each assembly consists of a pair of intermediate friction elements or wedges 36 and spring elements, such as the two sets of oppositely curved leaf springs 3'7 interposed between the wedges of the pair and operating vertically on said wedges to move them apart and respectively into :frictional engagement with the inclined top and bottom friction faces 28 and 29 of the pockets in the housing members. The outer faces at the top and bottom respectively of the wedges 36 of each pair are formed with downwardly and upwardly sloping friction surfaces 38 and 39 complementary to the friction surfaces 28 and 29 of the recesses 26 and 27. These friction faces of the wedges are provided with upwardly and downwardly offset portions 40 and 41 and shoulders 42 engaging the shoulders 33 to limit relative recessional movement of the housing members and to hold the parts of the gear in assembled relation.

The sets of springs 37 seat Within pockets 43 providedin the wedges 36 by surrounding vertical flanges 44. The curved surfaces of the sets of leaf springs 37 are in mutual engagement and the springs press the wedges 36 outwardly so that the wedges are interlocked normally within the pockets of the housing members. The gear may be assembled by pressing the housing members 13 and 14 over the ends of the assembled wedges 36 and springs 37 until the companion shoulders 33 and 42 interlock, and may be taken apart by forcing the wedges together ,to disengage the interlocking shoulders.

The front housing member 13 may be constructed to function as a combined follower block and housing member, thereby dispensing with an ordinary front follower block. For this purpose, the front housing member is provided with a horizontally elongated key slot for the key l5. rIhe key slot is centrally positioned vertically in the housing member and extends rearwardly between the top and bottom recesses 26 and in lapping relationship with said recesses. The recesses respectively extend forwardly from the rear open end 17 of the member and terminate forwardly of the rear end of the key slot 45.

As shown in Figure 2, the rear housing mem-Y ber 14 is rounded off at the corners 49 connecting the side walls 10 with the rear wall 20. These corner portions 49 are rounded to fit the inside radii of the yoke 12 at the corners connecting the side arms with the rear end thereof and extend below the corner shoulders 50 of the rear housing member. In the assembly'of the parts, the shoulders 50 overlie the yoke corners and assist in positioning the rear housing inthe yoke.

In the form shown in Figure 3, the gear is constructed to permit the use of a rear follower 46 between the rear wall 20 of the rear housing member 14 and the rear end of the yoke 12. In this form, the rear follower 46 is provided with a pair comprising upper and lower forwardly projecting bosses 5l which enter corresponding holes 52 in the rear wall 20 of the rear housing members. This construction maintains the housing member and rear follower in alignment and prevents the housing member from sagging.

Although I have disclosed certain preferred embodiments of my invention, it will be understood that modifications may be made within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is: Y

1. Cushioning mechanism adapted for use with railway draft rigging comprising a front friction element formed with a rearwardly extending wedge-shaped portion and outer inclined walls providing a pocket on either side thereof, said element being adapted to function as a front follower and provided with a transverse slot to receive a horizontal draft key, said slot extending intoxthe wedge-shaped portion for decreasing the necessary length of the element, a rear friction element formed with a forwardly extending wedge-shaped portion and outer inclined walls providing pockets complementary to the pockets in the front element, both of said wedge-shaped portionsand the inclined walls of the elements providing transversely disposed inclined friction surfaces, friction shoes positioned between said front and rearfriction elements and formed with correspondingly inclined frictionl surfaces, one of said shoes engaging the inclined surfaces on one side of the wedge-shaped portions, and another engaging the inclined surfaces on the other side of the wedge-shaped portions, the remaining shoes being disposed'outwardly of said firstmentioned shoes and cooperating therewith and with the inclined surfaces on the outer walls of said front and rear friction elements, said friction shoes having pockets opening toward one another, and resilient means positioned in` said pockets to urge said friction shoes into engagement with the friction surfaces on the wedgeshaped portions and inclined walls of the elements.

2. vCushioning mechanism adapted for use with railway draft rigging comprising a front friction element formed with a rearwardly extending wedge-shaped portion and outer inclined walls providing a pocket on either side thereofysaid element being adapted to function as a front follower and provided with a transverse slot to receive a horizontal draftv key, a rear friction element formed with a forwardly extending wedgeshaped portion and outer inclined walls providing pockets complementary to the pockets in the front element, both of said wedge-shaped portions and the inclined walls of the elements providing transversely disposed inclined friction surfaces, friction shoes positioned between said front and rear friction elements and formed with correspondingly inclined friction, surfaces, one of said shoes engaging the inclined surfaces on one side of the wedge-shaped portions, and another engaging the inclined surfaces on the other side of the wedge-shaped portions, the remaining shoes being disposed outwardly of said firstmentioned shoes and cooperating therewith and with the inclined surfaces on the outer walls of said front and rear friction elements, said friction shoes having pockets opening toward one another, and resilient means positioned in said pockets to urge said friction shoes into engagement with the friction surfaces on the wedgeshaped portions and inclined walls of the elements.

DONALD S. BARROWS. l 

